Friday, February 3, 2017

Yes, it was a good exhibit, but my bestie had not seen it AND our friend
Anita Heiss was performing as part of the Wednesday After Hours sessions.

I finished work at lunch, collected Cathy and we caught the train from
Wyong.

Once we landed at the gallery, we had a little chill and afternoon tea. I
declared the adventure would be hashtagged #CathyandCathygonude

And then we saw the exhibition. This time we were allowed to take photos,
unsure why we were not last time, but boy, I made the most of it.

The whole exhibit is superb, and having seen it once I knew which pieces I
wanted to spend more time with.

And boy, there are some amazing pieces.

This sculpture is divine from every angle

It was difficult to capture this little nymph

This bath scene was my favourite

Matisse

and the Picasso, I love this so very much

Bonnard's Bums

This Montmartre piece captured my imagination..and Anita's too!!

I love this chick, what is she thinking!?!

This looked positively ancient, but it was not

Another Picasso

Henry Moore from behind

This sculpture was glittery and golden, doesn't show up in the pic

Cathy and Modigliani

Whilst spending time with one surreal piece, we both noticed this very
glamorous elderly lady. Dressed in black with a hat and all the accessories. She
asked Cathy to take her photo with the piece and struck a pose not unlike a
retired model. Off she went, we both smiled and I declared I wanted to be her
when I grew up.

The piece had a hidden monkey in it, I was tired of looking for it, but not
Cathy. So I moved on and left her there and I headed for the Rodin.

The first time I was at the gallery, I had no idea this piece, The Kiss,
was featured. Nor did I realise how enormous the sculpture was. I love Rodin
and the art he made. And this is one of his best. It is in its own specially lit
room. I remember walking past with my eye on another painting, and caught it out
the corner of my eye. My whole body froze, every hair stood on end, and chills
went through my body. This piece is something else.

I spent a long time looking at it, remarkable and stunning.

This time I could photograph it from every angle and sat for a long time
looking at it.

Because it was later in the afternoon there were less people there, which
made the experience more intimate.

I sat outside the little area, still spellbound by The Kiss, and still
waiting for Cathy when the elderly lady stood next to me and pronounced I must
really love that piece!

I responded, ‘how can you not’, and she agreed, and we chatted about
the exhibit and such. She was very refined and fun and lovely and told us, as
Cathy had finally re-joined me, she had just had surgery. She didn’t say for
what. She was incredibly thin. I told her I loved her style, and she said it was
all op shop. We chatted a bit more and off she went with a flourish.

As an introvert, it is rare for me to chat to unknowns, but occasionally I
am drawn to the right kind of person, and that day was one of them. What a
lovely added experience to a lovely afternoon.

We continued our way around the exhibit and left feeling full and
satisfied.

Above a trio of Louise Bourgeois

Modern take on Nude

Ron Mueck's sculpture follows you around the exhibit!

Oh and yes, Cathy found the monkey, hiding the shadows, the little
imp!

Next up we had a little browse at the regular collection.

Taking this new (to me) bronze, I also captured a range of different art

After we did a turn at the Gallery shop ( I want one of every book in
there) and then claimed good seats and waited for Anita.

As part of the month, authors were asked to write some fiction inspired by
the exhibit.

Anita was fabulous and funny...as you would expect. She choose 6 or so
pieces and wrote from the perspective of the model in the pictures, calling her
words, “Does my bum look big in this?”

The talk was seriously about body
image and so very clever, and also so very funny. She had the audience in the
palm of her hands, as they squealed in delight at her every word. I wish I could
reproduce some of the words and the humour, but I would do her no credit.

While Anita did a book signing, Cathy and I had dinner. And then we caught
up with Anita and some of her friends over wine and cheese, enjoying great
conversation and many laughs until it was time for us to leave.

I cannot begin to explain how wonderful days like this are. They fill my
soul and heart with interest and joy.

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About Me

Hello, this blog is a journal or diary of cultural events I have attended. I will also review music, books, film and television amongst anything else of significant interest. I call on one and all to discuss and debate my entries - do you agree, disagree, have another point of view. Join me, I am interested!